The property in Tinaan, Naga that was bought by Cebu Province from the Balili family may be wrapped in controversy, but it is already earning millions of pesos for Capitol even if there is no development in the area yet.

This is the reason why Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is not bothered by the formal investigation to be conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman on the purchase on the said property.

She, instead, reported that at least $500,000 is now in the coffers of the provincial government.

The amount represents half of $1 million that Kepco-SPC has to pay in advance for dumping coal ash on part of the property.

The Province of Cebu and Kepco-SPC entered into an agreement allowing the power company to dump and pay $1 to the government for every metric ton of coal ash that would be dumped on the former Balili resort property.

Garcia said that the other half of agreed amount will be paid upon the start of the delivery of coal ash to the property.

Garcia was dismayed on reports which said she is "liable" for the Balili deal worth P99 million over the $500,000 it has already earned.

"It seems as though I am already guilty, I have been convicted because I am liable. Unsa man nang investigation, is it to affirm that you are liable or it is to find out whether or not you are liable," Garcia lamented.

The evaluation report of the Office of the Ombudsman is technically to find there if is really probable cause for the elevation for such a charge to a proper case.

Garcia said that her lawyers are now looking at this particular report of tagging her "liable" for the deal.

"I will take necessary action to protect my name," she said.

Capitol spokesperson Rory Jon Sepulveda said that the governor has yet to receive notice from the anti-graft office.

Sepulveda urged the media to be careful about this issue as this is also the first time the respondents are given the chance to explain.

"Let us be careful kay technical ra kaayo ni, it is already and very very serious offense that is being charged," he said.

The purchase of the Balili property became controversial when it was found out that a huge portion was underwater or was a mangrove area.

The Ombdusman last week approved the report of its prober that a formal investigation be conducted on the issue.

This does not, however, mean that the governor and the others involved are already liable for the case as it is the formal probe that would determine such. The initial report was only from a fact-finding investigation.

The municipal public information officer of Barili accused their vice mayor of insulting and embarrassing while they were at the town's police station.

An incident report recorded at the police blotter said Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia, younger brother of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, "snarled" at public information officer Dodong Leyson, asking why the latter was at the police station acting "as if he is a police officer."

In an interview, Leyson told The FREEMAN the incident caused him embarrassment as he was insulted in front of the police officers. He explained he was at the police station for a visit and to follow-up some matters.

According to Leyson, he even greeted the vice mayor by saying "good morning vice" but the latter allegedly got mad and snarled at him.

Sought for comment, Garcia denied the accusations, saying it was intended to malign him and ruin his reputation in Barili.

Reports had it that the vice mayor's supporters have filed cases before the Visayas Ombudsman against Mayor Teresito Mariñas. There are at least seven accusations hurled against the mayor and two of these are nepotism and allegation that the mayor funded his brother's house worth P2 million.

Leyson said there are rumors that the supporters of Garcia are saying that Mariñas has only six months to manage Barili as he will be ousted from his position soon because of the complaints that would be filed against him.

But Garcia was quick to deny that he was behind the accusations and the plan to file charges against the mayor. He added it was the plan of a concerned citizen who found anomalies in the administration of Mariñas.

For his part, Mariñas said he don't care about the rumors.

"I believe that whatever rumor is that, it can't affect me as mayor because it was the people who voted me and in fact, I have over 1,000 votes against my rival. It is a sign that the masses chose me to become their mayor. Rumor is just a rumor," Mariñas said.

The mayor also expressed confidence that all the cases that would be filed against him will later on be dismissed for lack of merit.

"I'm positively looking forward that the cases filed against me will be dismissed because there are no basis and sufficient evidence to support their claim because I did nothing wrong in manning Barili," Mariñas said.

He added that as an elected mayor of Barili, he is only doing his job as mayor.

At least 43 barangay captains in Cebu City may be barred from participating in the elections for the next set of officials of the Association of Barangay Councils unless they refund to the ABC a portion of the budget released to them but was unused during their travel last year.

Fourteen barangays have also not paid its share or annual dues to the ABC which constitutes almost two percent of their Internal Revenue Share.

Captains of barangays that have unsettled obligations to the ABC will not be allowed to vote or to run for office during the ABC election on December 7.

"Barangay captains of barangays that is delinquent in payment of barangay dues to ABC as reflected in the barangay budget review will not qualify as a candidate for ABC Officer and or a member of the ABC Board of Directors, and cannot exercise his rights to vote. This will apply to all incumbents, re-elected and newly elected barangay officials," according to ABC Memorandum No. 36-2010.

T. Padilla barangay Captain Michael Ralota, incumbent ABC Vice President said that barangay captains have until December 1, which is the filing of candidacy for the ABC presidency, to settle their dues.

"Kung di ni nila ma-settle before December 1, they will not be allowed to vote or run. But there are some issues that I need to clarify with the board of directors still. I-convene nako sila in the afternoon of November 30, when I take over Faelnar's position," Ralota said.

Ralota is taking over for Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio Faelnar on November 30 at noon when the latter's term comes to an end.

As per the Advisory of the Liga ng mga Barangay-National circulated last November 4, the incumbent vice president who is re-elected as captain shall represent the Liga in their respective council should the incumbent Liga Chapter be not reelected as barangay chairman.

This means that Ralota will be ABC President from November 30 noon until December 7 or until the winner is proclaimed.

If the incumbent president is re-elected, he will be the ABC president until his successor is proclaimed.

The 43 barangay captains with unsettled obligations to the ABC failed to refund the association of almost P2,000 each.

The amount was the excess of the P15,000 cash advances released to all 50 participating barangay captains when they traveled to Davao in the middle of last year to attend a convention on the environment.

Upon the liquidation of their trip, ABC accountants found out that the P15,000 cash advance was not fully utilized so they asked the captains to refund the excess amount.

Of the 50 who went to Davao only six paid, one has no obligation at all, while the rest or 43 have not paid the association yet. Busay barangay Captain Eliodoro Sanchez who announced his intention to run as ABC president is among those with unsettled obligations.

Ralota said that he will discuss with board whether they shall consider the successors of delinquent barangay captains. Apparently, there are captains who have unsettled dues but were not re-elected during the recent elections.

He also wants to clarify with the board the procedure later of disbursement of funds for the December 7 election which is set to be held at the Grand Convention Center.

Mactan Cebu International Airport General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete denied reports that he drove across an airport runway even when an airplane was fast approaching.

A source reportedly saw Villarete driving his Toyota Fortuner and crossing between a taxiing aircraft and an aircraft marshaler yesterday morning. There was no mention if the aircraft had just landed or if it was taking off.

Such an act constitutes a gross violation of ramp safety rules.

However, Villarete denied he was driving on the runway.

"No! I did not know it. Yeah I was driving but I am aware of all the safety regulations," Villarete told The FREEMAN.

According to the Internet an airport ramp, otherwise known as apron, is an actual part of an airport that serves as the parking area for airplanes.

This is also where airplanes are unloaded, refueled and boarded.

The ramp is not accessible to everyone. Only those who have the proper licenses and authorization may enter and work in the apron. Every vehicle and person that moves in an airport ramp is considered "apron traffic".

In the Mactan Cebu International Airport, the apron for both domestic and international operations have 12 wide-bodied aircraft.

The Commission on Audit has ordered the Department of Health in Central Visayas and the Talisay District Hospital to justify the P11.8 million spent for their Collective Negotiation Agreement bonus in 2008 and 2009.

The expropriation of the 2,856-square meter lot in Barangay Hipodromo may not save the more than 150 urban families living in the area from eviction because most of them could not afford to buy the property.

The Commission on Audit has recommended to the Cebu City government to assign a specific office to monitor and ensure proper liquidation of funds granted to various non-government and people's organizations.

The Visayan Electric Company Employees' Union-ALU (VECEU-ALU) is asking the management to agree for a dialog for them to reach a mutually acceptable settlement and speedy resolution of their current labor dispute.

The Cebu City government has requested the Visayan Electric Company to grant the city exemption from paying the electricity that will be consumed by the city's decoration and Christmas Lighting Project.

MANILA, Philippines - It will be a year on Tuesday (Nov. 23) since news of the massacre of 57 civilians in Maguindanao shocked the whole world – news that further catapulted the Philippines high in the impunity index.

JUSTICE SECRETARY Leila M. de Lima has affirmed a commitment to speed up the Maguindanao massacre trial by appointing an undersecretary to coordinate with public and private prosecutors handling the case a day before the first anniversary of the gruesome killings.

MANILA, Philippines - Cultural group Ugat Lahi on Monday presented to the media its latest creation: a 9-foot effigy dubbed the "Ampatuan Backhoe" to commemorate the first anniversary of the Maguindanao Massacre.

In undoing the stigma brought to Maguindanao by the massacre of 57 civilians there in 2009, the provincial government is seeking to change the names of several towns, which were named after members of the infamous Ampatuan clan who are standing trial for the murders.

MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino III spoke to Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday, a little over a week after her release from seven years under house arrest, a presidential spokesman said.

YANGON, Myanmar - Government censors in military-ruled Myanmar have ordered nine magazines to suspend publication for not following regulations. All nine printed photos of recently released pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in inserts that were used as wraparound covers when the magazines were on sale.

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday swore in over 40 new officials of his administration, including high-ranking officials of government -owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and military officers.

Lito Mondragon was sworn in as president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Mining Development Corporation, while Froilan Tampinco was retained as president and CEO of the National Power Corporation.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo David Jr. and 20 other military officers also took their oaths before Aquino.

Other new officials who took their oaths of office were the following:

- Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board commissioner and CEO Antonio Bernardo

Alex Padilla, chairman of the government panel that will resume peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), also took his oath, along with panel members Pablito Sanidad Sr., Jurgette Honculada, and Ednar Dayanghirang.

Luistro said criticism is part of the territory when one becomes a public servant. "I'm actually used to criticism in the private sector, in the academe," he said.

He fended off most of Santiago's criticisms against him, which have nothing to do with his present work as education chief.

Santiago earlier vowed to block Luistro's appointment as Secretary of the Department of Education after he allegedly tried to block the senator from teaching political science in De La Salle University. Luistro is a former president of DLSU.

She said Luistro and his colleagues in the Black and White Movement pilloried her when she voted not to open the second envelope during the impeachment trial of former president Joseph Estrada.

Finally, she said Luistro's background as a La Sallian brother means he is "bound" to support the official position of the Catholic church against the controversial Reproductive Health Act.

Luistro said he has already written Santiago and asked that he be given a chance to explain his side to the senator.

Regarding Santiago's failure to teach at DLSU, the education chief said he had nothing to do with the university's decision since he was not yet appointed DLSU president at the time.

"When I have the time to see her, I'd like to be able to say that i was not in DLSU at that time. There was another president, I was really not part of that. In DLSU, it goes to the department," he said.

He said he is not a member of the Black and White Movement but was usually seen with BWM members during the impeachment trial.

"My association with them was in many of the activities related to the impeachment. My official statements are with the DLSU brothers, with my congregation," he said.

He also noted that his own perspective has changed ever since he was appointed education secretary.

"There's a big difference between being a critic of government and one who is doing exactly what government is supposed to do as service. It's a learning experience for me. I have to prove that government can respond to those challenges," he said.

He denied that his Catholic upbringing will be a hindrance in his work especially on the issue of sex education. "I don't think any public servant should push what he personally believes only as a personal conviction. A public servant does that based on the Constitution," he said.

Luistro said he is willing to sit down with reproductive health advocates on what kind of sex education should be included in curricula.

"I think people are willing to say we need education and we need sexual education. Some people interpret that as sexual instruction and that is different," he said.

He said a cursory look at some of the DepEd-issued textbooks shows that these already teach sex education through human anatomy lessons, including the differences between boys' and girls' bodies.

"What are the contentious issues? How do we teach contraceptives? What are the values we bring in? These are the things that we have to discuss," he said.

Luistro said he has no problems writing to Santiago and asking that he be allowed to explain his side.

"I am not a regular politician. I can bow before somebody who is respected. What is important is I am able to express the reality and truth of what really happened and explain my side," he said.

Asked what type of projects he is focusing on, Luistro said he wants to increase the number of 5-year-olds taking up kinder next year.

"Currently, 81-85% of 5-year-olds take up kinder. We want to expand it to 98%. I think we will be able to do that by June 2011," he said.

He said he also intends to address the problem of shortages of classrooms and teachers.

MANILA, Philippines - To speed up the process of enacting the proposed P1.645-trillion budget for 2011, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad has requested Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Franklin Drilon not to entertain any request of any executive agency or department for amendments to their budgets unless they have a clearance from him.

On his lawyer's advice, the suspect in the Sept. 26 Bar examinations blast did not show up on Monday at the Department of Justice's preliminary investigation into the criminal complaint lodged against him by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other victims.

MANILA, Philippines – A Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) has denied the motion of former police Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II, an accused in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case, to be placed under custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Jaime Dichaves will be arrested when he lands on Philippines soil amid a standing arrest warrant issued against him by the Sandiganbayan in 2001 as one of the accused in the P4.1-billion Estrada plunder charge, officials of the graft court said Monday.

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's claim to have a working uranium enrichment plant sparked anger Monday in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo, with US officials saying the communist state could use it to build more nuclear bombs.

In his controversial new book, Pope Benedict XVI said women are so important that in many ways they define the face of the Church more than men. However, he insisted that priestly ordination for women is impossible.

Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao delivers his privilege speech after being honored by the Congressional Medal of Distinction by the House of Representatives for his achievements in boxing, November 22, 2010.

Showing his religious side, Sarangani Representative and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao on Monday said he is opposed to the reproductive health bills and instead pushed for abstinence as a means of curbing population growth.

GUANGZHOU -Hardworking Annie Albania took the full measure of Korea 's Kim Song Hye with her busy fists in a 7-2 decision in the 48-51 kgs division and assumed her place in the semifinal round of the debuting women's boxing event in the 16th Asian Games.

GUANGZHOU - As expected, the Philippine-Smart Gilas team cruised past India, 78-57, to claim its second win in the 16th Asian Games men's basketball competition late Sunday night at the Yingdong Gymnasium.

New Orleans coach Monty Williams was quick with a one-liner after the Hornets survived an ugly game to match San Antonio for the best record in the NBA. "I don't think either one of us is going to send this tape to Springfield (the Basketball Hall of Fame) or any other field," Williams said after the Hornets improved to 11-1 with a 75-71 victory over Sacramento on Sunday.

Only two other players in NBA history have ever reached the level of statistical perfection Pau Gasol achieved Sunday night. Charles Barkley did it 22 seasons ago. Gasol's teammate, Matt Barnes, did it two days ago. Although they can't explain how the Los Angeles Lakers produced two essentially perfect individual games in one long weekend, Gasol and Barnes aren't fighting over who did it.

A police investigation was under way Monday in the death of a toddler who plunged from a third-level luxury box at Staples Center after a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game. The fall occurred Sunday as 2-year-old Lucas Anthony Tang was taking pictures with his family in a skybox with a glass safety barrier that varies in height but is at least several feet high, police Officer Julie Sohn said.

The Boston Celtics are playing tough defense, as usual. Just not for the entire game, and it's costing them. Amir Johnson made two free throws with 2.7 seconds left, Andrea Bargnani scored 29 points and the Toronto Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Celtics with a 102-101 victory Sunday.

After 11 NBA seasons, Richard Hamilton knows his days as an elite scorer are probably over. He's still capable of lighting things up on occasion, though. Hamilton scored 12 of his 27 points in overtime in the Detroit Pistons' 115-110 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. "I still enjoy playing this game, and I'm always going to work hard out there."